By Ventura Breeze Staff –
The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS) is pleased to announce its 2025 Scholarship Honorees: Emily Felder and Maria Tharpe.
Emily is a graduate student in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She works in the lab of Dr. Susannah Porter to research 800-million-year-old microfossils found in a remote section of the Alaska-Yukon border and how they incorporated unique minerals into the fabric of life as complex creatures first emerged in Earth’s oceans. Described as a non-traditional student, Emily left a career as a documentary filmmaker and science writer to pursue a long-time dream of becoming a paleontologist.
Maria is a lab assistant in the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her goal is to obtain a geology degree with a minor in environmental science. Within the lab, she assists in working with 10,000 year-old microfossils known as foraminifera to help unravel the evolving nature of Earth’s oceans. An older adult learner and single mom, her academic path was long deferred and unconventional, with many challenges that’s she’s successfully navigated along the way.
Emily and Maria were honored based on their academic records, essays describing their educational goals, and faculty letters-of-recommendation. Each received a $1,000 unrestricted grant, a certificate-of-acknowledgement, and honorary VGMS membership.
VGMS normally awards one scholarship on an annual basis, but this year was able to award two people thanks to the fiscal success of last year’s National Show & Convention of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies hosted by VGMS at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The scholarship grants may be used as it best meets the recipient’s needs, whether for tuition, books, housing, etc. Potential recipients may be a graduating high school senior accepted to a college program, a 2- or 4-year college student, or a graduate student. Applicants must major in one of the earth sciences or in another field directly relevant to the mission of VGMS (e.g., science education, gemology
and jewelry arts, etc.). If interested in further details, contact VGMS at info@vgms.org. www.vgms.org.http://www.vgms.org
